Uglies Story, I'll change the name soon
by KittyGonzales
Summary: This story is about a runaway in the smoke's early years with a story similar to Tally's, but a different feeling toward toward the smoke. It's not as boring as the name suggests. PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Best Friends Forever

Roan hovered over the river, looking at the moon and stars' reflection below her. She had fixed her hoverboard so that its magnets were stronger and she could fly higher and farther from metal than a normal board. But, still, she stayed close to the river and was constantly looking around to make sure there was no one around. But she was alone. She sighed. Alone. Ever since Jacob had left, she had been spending more and more time alone.

Plus, Special Circumstances had been watching her every move. She found herself spending hours every night hoverboarding, just to get away from the hawk-like faces and razor-sharp voices that followed her everywhere, asking where Jacob was. But she wouldn't tell them. She wasn't afraid of them. She didn't care if they made sure she was ugly forever.

She sighed again. (Another thing she had been doing more often since Jacob had left.) Ugly forever. She and Jacob had always talked about never turning pretty; ever since she had first met him. She had told him about not caring whether she was ugly or pretty. Now he was gone because of her.

She wished he had brought her with him, or at least left directions. They could have been in The Smoke at that very moment, laughing and eating and never turning pretty. But now she was stuck in Uglyville, with her 16th birthday looming a few months away. She'd give anything to see Jacob again. They were each other's best and only friends. They were always sneaking out at night to hoverboard.

A loud slap brought Roan back to Earth. Her hoverboard had been drifting downward slowly and finally hit the surface of the river with a noise as loud as a gunshot echoing off the forest. She wondered if anyone had heard it. She didn't see any one and she was almost at the rusty ruins, a long way from Uglyville, but she still curved into the forest, riding along the path she and Jacob had made by burying pieces of metal under trees that were marked with letters, eventually spelling "_BEST FRIENDS FOREVER." _

"Forever" Roan whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Ride

Roan knew that if she didn't head home soon, it would mean yet another interrogation by Special Circumstances. She wasn't sure if she cared anymore.

She pulled her hoverboard to a halt. She was at "S." The trail ended soon. She should turn back now.

She knew, deep down, why she didn't want to turn back. If she went back to the dorm pretended to sleep in her bed, reality would be forced upon her harder than she could stand: Jacob wouldn't come to visit or to plan their next trick. She was alone now. At least out here she could drift into thought, even if those thoughts were about how much she missed Jacob. Out here, the weight of grief she was carrying seemed to lighten a bit.

She suspected that if she came back late, the Special interrogating her might just slap her out of frusteratation.

_Good. _She thought. That would only show them how much she could stand. Lately, it was an endless battle between Roan and Special Circumstances. And Roan was winning.

Even with their superhuman strength, Specials didn't intimidate Roan. Jacob's disappearance had left her feeling hollow inside. And even if she could still feel anything but numbness, she had never really minded pain. She had once fallen off her hoverboard while flying over a thick forest. She had merely said "Ow" and hopped back on her board.

About half an hour later, Roan decided to head back. She was tired and sore and fairly sure she was in for another visit from Special Circumstances.

She enjoyed these visits. They showed just how much she could stand. She loved to see them struggling to get her to tell them everything she knew about The Smoke. Which, in fact was very little. But, still, she acted as though she knew everything, just to see them struggle.

She decided against turning back. She hadn't even ridden the coaster yet. She rose high into the air, much high than a normal board could. She spotted the coaster and flew towards it at an amazing speed, pulling up mere inches from the ground. That's what she loved about her board: With the right rider, it could do almost anything. And Roan was probably the best rider there was.

She rode the coaster, feeling the wonderful and familiar sensation of falling into nothingness when she passed the gap. After a few rides, she decided to head home. Just for the thrill of it, she rode home at top speed, which was much faster on her board. She laughed as she felt the wind whipping against her face, the spray soaking her as she sped past the rapids.

She got home faster then usual. It was once again time to show Special Circumstances just how much she could take.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Specials

As Roan had suspected, coming home late had meant another visit from Special Circumstances. The Special interrogating her had sleek, jet-black hair, pointed teeth, and orange eyes. She looked like a wolf, only less friendly.

"This is the 5th time I've talked to you and the _15__th_time you've been sent to Special Circumstances for questioning!" she said with a voice as sharp as knives.

"I like to think I've caused fquite a bit of trouble." Roan replied coolly

_"This isn't about you and you know it!" _she said, her voice rising.

"Getting angry already? I heard you Specials could control your emotions very well. Oh, well, I also heard that you were scary."

As Roan had suspected, she lost her temper and slapped her in the face, leaving a big, purple, hand-shaped bruise.

"I suppose you being strong was a myth, too." Roan said. In reality, it hurt beyond belief, but she'd never let _them _know that.

"_TELL US WHERE HE WENT!" _ The Special roared.

Roan merely looked at her. "I thought it would take you longer to crack. You seemed much more mentally stable than the other Specials."

"YOU'RE NOT _ANSWERING _ME!"

"_You _never asked a question!"

"_Tell me where Jacob is NOW!"_

"Say the magic word!"

The Special stared at her with loathing. _"Please!"_

"Thank you!"

The Special roared and stood up so fast her chair toppled over. "_Until you cooperate" _she said through gritted teeth _"You will NEVER be pretty!"_

Roan looked up at her and blinked. "And the bad part is...?"

The Special growled and ran from the room, leaving Roan alone and satisfied, her smile growing bigger every time she replayed the scene in her head.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jacob's message

That night, Roan went hoverboarding again. At top speed, on her board, she could reach the Rusty Ruins in half an hour. She decided to make one stop on the way.

Roan touched the place where on the tree where the bark and outer wood had been carved away, tracing the capital B with her fingers. This was where they had first started their big project, which had led to their midnight races and games, no longer worried about being spotted. She sighed and turned around, leaning on the tree and sinking to the ground, her eyes squeezed shut. Why was she so obsessed? Why couldn't she get over the fact that he was gone? When would this agony end? She opened her eyes. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She thought she saw something on the tree, but she must have been imagining it. But, maybe she wasn't.

She stood up and examined it closer. "C." It was written in the same writing as on the tree across from it.

"Jacob." she whispered. She hopped on her hoverboard. As she'd

suspected, someone had buried metal in the ground. she looked at the 2 trees next to it. One of them had an "O" on it .

She followed the line of trees marked with letters. After the "O" there was an "A", after that, an "S", then a "T".....

"COASTERCLUE"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Coaster

Without hesitation, Roan pulled her hoverboard high into the air and flew to the coaster. She nose-dived strait to it. She took it at top speed, scanning the roller coaster for any clue. She knew Jacob had left her a message here.

Then, she saw it. Something was tied between the two sides of the gap. She took off her crash bracelets and stored them in the secret compartment she had installed in her hoverboard. She couldn't pass it up. If she were going to get the message, she would have to let herself fall.

There was rope, with each end tied to one side of the gap. In the middle was a small package.

Roan gulped. The gap was at least 50 feet from the ground. If she fell, it might not kill her, but would probably break a few of the bones in her back. The rope looked so thin. What if she missed? What if she caught it, and it broke under her weight? She urged her board onward toward her possible doom.

Roan felt herself plummeting towards the earth, falling into endless darkness. Her hands reached for something to grab onto, but she found nothing, she was going to hit the ground, crack her skull and break her back.

She felt a sharp sting go down the middle of her body as she hit the rope. She immediately wrapped her arms around it. She hung there for a while. She hadn't anticipated getting off. She felt stupid. Why han't she simply stopped, untied one end, flew over, and untied the other end? Why had she left her hoverboard go? She wished she could call her hoverboard. Maybe if she whistled, it would come....

She inched forward on the rope. Her hands stung with rope burn. She edged slowly across the rope until she reached the opposite end. As she swung onto ithe coaster's metal skeleton, (or possibly it had always been that way) her stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch. She untied the rope and let it swing away. she had never stood on the roller coaster before. It was so unnervingly narrow that she had to put one foot in front of the other and stick her arms out for ballance, and it was much steeper than she had realized.

She walked, slowly and carefully, down the slope to the the bend in the bend in the track, where her hoverboard had run out of metal and sat, waiting, She took out her crash bracelets and hopped on, happy to be back on safe, broad, steady, not-quite-ground again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Love, Jacob

Roan went back to the gap, and untied the other end of the rope. She still felt amazingly dumb for not doing that in the first place. The package was a small box with a note attatched. She read it eagerly:

_Dear Roan,_

_I'm sorry for not taking you with me to the smoke. It all happened so quickly! This box is locked with an eye-scanner; it will only open for you. (You'll never guess where I stole the eye-scanner from.) Inside are directions to you-know-where. Please leave for you-know-where as soon as you get 2 weeks' worth of food and a water-purifer. Please know that the only reason I'm not rescuing you from Uglyville right now, rather than leaving you a note, is because it's too dangerous. I really miss you!_

_Love,_

_Jacob_

Roan laughed. That was so like Jacob: stealing an eye-scanner and leaving a message in the most dangerous place possible! With the help of that little box, she could find The Smoke _and _drive Special Circumstances _crazy!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Demands

Roan stayed at the coaster until dawn, reading and rereading the note. When she got home, A Special was already there. Roan stared at her. Her eyes seemed to glow with blackness, to glitter with evil. Roan could tell that she was in charge.

"Why did you get home so late?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"So you could drive us to insanity with your maddening stubbornness?"

"It's tempting, but, no. I'm here to help you."

The Special lifted an eyebrow, but her gaze was unwavering. "How?"

"This." she said, handing them the box. the Special snatched the note from the front, reading it quickly.

"Open it"

"No."

"WHAT?"

"Not until you meet my demands. I want to go to the Smoke, not a fleet of Special Circumstances' hovercars. Send me with a tracker, I'll ping you when I'm at the Smoke. I want to see Jacob one last time before you turn him pretty. And, I want us to turn pretty on the same day."

"Fine." the special answered.

"Now, I'll need 3 weeks' worth of food and a water purifier. I also want soap, a_ lot _of toilet paper, a change of clothes, a water-proof bag, and some night-vision goggles. Ooh, and sunblock and sunglasses!"

"Fine."

"Great! I'll leave as soon as you get me all of that!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Journey

That night, the Specials gave Roan her supplies and sent her off. She opened the box as soon as she was out of the Specials' sight. It contained a note with simple directions and 9 extra packets of dehydrated food. She had already asked the Specials for an extra week's worth of food in case she got hungry. If she ate all of the food she had in 2 weeks, she would weigh about 250 pounds by the time she got to The Smoke. And, of coarse, with her board, she would probably get there even sooner.

When she was in the forest, she saw a cardinal sitting on a large pine. She knew from tracking cardinals with Jacob that it would be heading south soon. She gently lifted the bird from its branch and attached her interface ring and her tracker to its leg and let it fly away.

Ron spent the first few days with barely any food or sleep. The less time she spent eating and sleeping, the faster she got to the Smoke. And Jacob. Compared to seeing Jacob, eating and sleeping seemed pointless. On the third day, though, she was so tired and hungry she ate three packets of Curry Noodles and slept for 6 hours (which was a lot for her.)

Jacob's directions were easy to understand. She had expected it to be one big riddle. But it had straightforward directions like "Turn left in the bend in the river.' Since she slept and ate very little and her board was amazingly fast, she got to the pick-up point exceptionally fast. The rangers explained all about the weed before dropping her off at the "bald head." She waited there for a long time. She wondered if they would even come, or if something had happened. What if they just left her sitting there, alone, in that sea of white decease? She had plenty of food, but she hated that eerie place. What if-

That last thought was cut shot by a rustling in the weeds. Out of the mist rose 4 strangers. And Jacob.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Reunion

Roan ducked into the weeds. She would make this special.

"I don't see anybody." one of them said. Jacob's face sunk. It had taken a long time for her to find his clue.

"Are you sure?" he asked, scanning the weeds as if he thought she might jump out and yell "Suprise." (Which was exactly what she planned to do.)

"Face it, Jacob. She's not coming. Maybe she doesn't want to be ugly forever."

"You don't know Roan like I do. She wanted to stay ugly more than anything in the world!"

"Well, it is a dangerous jorney....."

Jacob shook his head. He wouldn't beleive that she was dead, Roan knew.

She move toward them, trying not to make a sound. Soon, she could see their feet.

"Come on, lets go back."

Roan leapt out of the weeds, landing right beside Jacob.

"Wha- _Roan! I can't beleive your here! _Why were you in the weeds?"

"To suprise you, of coarse!" She wrapped her arms around him.

They walked through the forest, with Roan and Jacob holding each other's shoulders tightly, together again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The Incline

After just a week in The Smoke, Roan already felt like she had been there all her life. The founders, Maddy and Az, showed them their 1 year old son, David. (He was already learning to hoverboard!) The smokies roared with laughter as she told them stories of her many encounters with the Specials, and how she had made them so frusterated. And the whole time, Jacob was right there beside her, smiling, and never wanting to take his hand off her shoulder. Exept, of coarse, to push her into something thrilling and dangerous.

"Don't open your eyes!" he said one sunny day. He had already guided her up the mountain while her eyes were close, nearly getting her killed a few times. "This is called an incline. Rusties used it to get up the mountain and see the landscape. Your eyes still closed?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, you can..._ Open 'em!" _he said, giving her a push. She flung her eyes open to find herself rocketing down the mountai on a large, metal rail.

"_IIIIIIIII HHHAAAAAATTTEEE YYYOOOOOUUUU!" _she screamed She could barely hear Jacob's laugh over the rush of the wind in her ears. She pulled her board up inches from the ground. Jacob went down after her, laughing and screaming with joy. He pulled his board up feet from the ground.

"I could have broken board!"

"You? You've got way better reflexes than a cat! I don't think you could break your board if you tried!" He chuckled. "And, hey, wasn't that fun?"

"I suppose it is after you get over the fact that you almost killed yourself."

"Oh, yeah. That wears off in a couple days."

"Speaking of death, did you have to put your directions in such a life-threatening place?"

"'Coarse!"

"And you do know that you said 'you-know-where' instead of the smoke, but you called it the smoke in the first sentance?"

"I did? Darn!"

"Oh, well!" she said. "at least I'm here and survived the incline!"

"yeah. You want to ride it again?"

"Sure!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Flight

Roan had spent nearly a month in the Smoke, laughing and talking and having the time of her life, when the unthinkable happened. They were all laughing at a joke she had made (at the expense of the specials, of course) when her sunglasses beeped and she saw the most horrible sight she could have imagined.

A hologram of a special, hovering in midair, eyes glittering with malice.

"Thank you, Miss Winters." Roan had almost forgotten her last name; no one ever called her anything but Roan. "for leading us to the Smoke."

"But-but…" The Special cut her off before she could even think of a reason this wasn't happening.

Did you honestly think we would be tracking you only through your interface ring? Of coarse we wouldn't trust you to keep your promise. And you had the most convenient suggestion of sunglasses…"

At that, Roan threw her sunglasses to the ground and stomped, hard on them.

"Oh, Jacob, you have to believe me, I didn't want this, I didn't mean for any of this, I just wanted to see you so badly, and I couldn't get all the supplies on my own. You've _got _to believe me!" He didn't look angry, he just looked surprised. He didn't seem to have registered anything she or the Special had said. It looked like his mind had stopped working in disbelief.

Roan pulled him close. "Jacob…" she said, and than whispered "Punch me."

That seemed to break his trance. "_What?" _

"Well, I smashed the glasses, but they might still be watching, so make it look convincing." She said in the smallest whisper she could manage.

"No, I'm not going to do it."

"Just beat me up and leave, I'll catch up with you."

"What if they turn you pretty before you can? And besides, I can't justify beating you up."

"I'm tough" she managed a weak smile. "Now, hurry, they'll be here soon."

Jacob sighed, but seemed to agree because his face contorted with anger, and his fist was suddenly in her face.

The blow was hardly enough to make her wince, but she fell to the ground and moaned in mock pain. The other Smokies began to join in. They didn't realize she had suggested it though, and were less generous. After a minute, they hopped on their hoverboards and flew off. Jacob lingered a little, looking at the friend he was abandoning, than followed suit, leaving Roan moaning on the ground, not sure if she was actually hurt or not.

Special Circumstances was there in less than a minute. They saw her lying on the ground, bruises already beginning to form. The one who had appeared from her glasses was the first to speak.

"Where did the go?" Roan simply groaned. Next thing she knew, a hard Special hand was striking the spot on her face where a bruise was already forming from Jacob punching her. Roan gasped and grasped her face.

"I asked you where they _went_!" she said raising her hand again.

"Calm down" said another Special "We won't learn anything if you kill her."

"You're right, I forgot myself." Another Special came over, trying to look kindly, but there was no compassion in those black holes they had for eyes, no pity in that hawk's face. At least She had the presence of mind to conceal her pointed teeth with her lips.

"Come with us, please." Roan couldn't think to object, so she followed the wolf-people blindly, wondering how she would ever escape.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Lion's Den

Roan didn't immediately register that the hovercar had stopped. She had spent the long ride staring numbly at her hands, giving in the shock that had been threatening to overwhelm her since she had seen the hovering face of the Special. Only when one of the Specials shoved her roughly in the shoulder did she move. Her mind was in a state of stupor very similar to the one she had seen spread all over Jacob's face earlier that evening. She could not process where she was or what was happening, but she responded dully to the touch. The Specials led her through strange, winding hallways, past similar parties of Specials herding frightful, protesting people of all states. Uglies, Pretties, adults, children, mothers, fathers, rich, poor, and modest all passed their group in the halls of Special Circumstances. One girl even screamed at Roan to help, and, on seeing the dead look in her eyes, turned on her escorts, screaming hysterically.

"What did you do to her? Is that what you people do here? Oh, God, oh God!" she than began sobbing incomprehensible shouts of distress.

But Roan knew nothing of that. She was in some surreal dream where she was being held captive by people more beast than human. Of course, that was it! And any moment she would wake up and tell Jacob all about it, and how silly it was and he would laugh at her for it. That thought was enough to bring her to her senses, but that only brought the crushing weight of her situation back upon her.

Then she remembered the girl from earlier, and her screaming protests. _Oh God!_ She had summed up the situation perfectly in just 2 small words.

Finally, they reached their destination, a small office with plain white walls, a desk with a small leather chair, and one wooden and uncomfortable-looking chair.

"Sit." said one curtly, striding in and shutting the door behind her.

Roan had lost all her nerve. The spirit of defiance, the courage, the ease, had left her completely. She was no longer the Roan Winters who had lounged about in the interrogation room, mocking them with her every word, enjoying these visits, taking pride in them. She was nothing to be proud of now.

So, there was nothing to do but sit down, ashen-faced and trembling, in the tiny wooden chair that was every bit as uncomfortable as it looked.

"Well, well, well, it seems we have finally caught the elusive Miss Winters." She said with a smile that she really did mean. "You have been causing quite a stir lately, haven't you?"

"I like to think I've caused quite a bit of trouble" said Roan shakily, with none of the gusto she'd had when she said it in the interrogation room, all those millions of years ago.

"Of course, I forgot, this isn't about you," she said, her smile fading a bit, but perking up again almost immediately. "This was never about you. It was about finding the Smoke. And I'm afraid that, on that count, you can no longer be of any service. It's not technically legal for another week or so, but for you I think we can make an exception. To wait any longer would be irresponsible. We can't risk you getting away from us again, now can we?" She then revealed her fangs in the broadest grin Roan had ever seen.

It took a minute for Roan's numb brain to process it, but when she did, a cry escaped her, one she had expected to come out a shout, a shreik that would echo through the hallsof this house of horrors, but intead came out as a mere, hoarse, whisper:

"Oh, God."


End file.
